Launch of The Decorated School Website (IAA funded) and book, plus short presentations from graduate student researchers studying aspects of the built or designed environment of Education

In 1944, the city council of Gentofte voted against the judgments of The Danish Architects Society in a competition for the new Mosegaard school at Vangede, north of Copenhagen. Why they did so, is not completely clear (at the moment), but the case demonstrates, that architecture and design for children has always been contested and infused with many different interests. In her presentation, Professor de Coninck-Smith will start out from this case and talk about other examples, where interests have clashed from pavilion schools, aula schools to open plan schools during the 1970’s and the newest hybrid schools in inner city Copenhagen. She will also give examples of how ideas have circulated between Denmark and Germany or between Denmark and UK. Finally she will talk about her upcoming research project on The Danish Decorated School and showing a couple of examples from different time periods.

Ning de Coninck-Smith is professor of History of Childhood and Education at the Department of Education, Aarhus University – Copenhagen campus. She is currently together with Charlotte Appel co-editing a five volume book series on the history of the Danish educational system since the Middle Ages. She is also co-author together with Lisa Rosén Rasmussen and Iben Vyff on volume 5, which deals with contemporary History of Education. The materialities of schooling are very present in all five volumes. Volume 1-4 have been published, volume 5 will be published during spring 2015.